Tara's Gift
by shopgirl152
Summary: Tara gets Willow a very special birthday gift. Willow/Tara two-shot
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is taken from the beginning of the Season 5 episode Family, where Willow asks for a story and Tara tells her a story about Miss Kitty Fantastico.

* * *

"Did kitty get adopted?"

"Well, now you just ruined the ending."

Willow smiled. "Tell me the story."

"I just did."

"Tell me again."

"Okay." Tara looked into the distance, remembering. "It was a week before your birthday…"

* * *

"Hey Willow." Tara walked up to Willow, waving shyly.

Willow smiled. "Hey Tara. What's up?"

"Oh nothing. I-uh-have a question for you."

"Shoot."

"Are you allergic to cats?"

"No."

"Okay, good."

Willow studied the blonde witch for a moment. "Why did you want to know if I was allergic to cats?"

"Well…I want to get a cat…but I-uh-I want to make sure my room is…" she trailed off, looking down for a moment, before looking back up, meeting Willow's eyes. "I-uh-want to make sure my room is Willow friendly."

Willow grinned. "Well have no fear; I am cat allergy free."

Tara smiled. "That's…good to know." She looked down at her feet. "Oh, hey, I-uh-I gotta go."

"Go? You have a class already?"

"Uh-yeah. I…uh…haven't studied for it yet. I'll see you later."

"Okay." Willow watched Tara walk away, then called out, an idea occurring to her. "Hey Tara?"

Tara turned around. "Yes?"

"Can I suggest a name for the cat? You know, in case you get one?"

Tara smiled. "Sure."

"How about…uh…Miss Kitty Fantastico?"

Tara grinned. "I'll think about it; that's a good name. Bye Willow."

"Bye."

* * *

Tara raced to her dorm room, the name swirling inside her head. _Miss Kitty Fantastico. Miss Kitty Fantastico. Miss Kitty Fantastico. _She smiled to herself as she flipped frantically through the yellow pages, her eyes landing on the A's. She glanced at the pages until she found what she was looking for. "Sunnydale Animal Shelter. Perfect." She grabbed her purse off a nearby table, closing the door behind her. "Willow will love this."

* * *

A few minutes later, Tara pulled up in front of the Sunnydale Animal Shelter. As she got out of the car, her ears were met with the sound of dogs barking. She closed the car door, walking into the main office. "E-excuse me?"

"Yes?" A kindly looking man appeared behind the counter.

"I-I'm looking for a-a cat. Do you know where they are?"

The man smiled, pointing to the left. "We keep the cats inside; go to your right and go around that corner. You'll find them; there are plenty of kitties looking for a good home."

"Thanks." Tara walked in the direction the man had pointed, turning a corner. She stopped, her eyes growing wide at the sight; there in front of her, lined against the wall, were tall kennels, each holding three cats. The cats lounged on hanging hammocks, jumped over litter boxes and wrestled with toy mice.

Tara walked down the long row of kennels, studying each cat. "Miss Kitty Fantastico." She tried the name out on a very pretty looking black cat with green eyes. The cat merely looked at her, disinterested in the name. "No, that's not it. Oh, don't get me wrong; you're very pretty, but-not the one for me."

She continued down the row, trying the name out on a few cats, but having no luck. Sighing, she headed back towards the front of the shelter.

The man at the front smiled at her. "So, did you find what you were looking for?"

Tara sighed again. "No, not yet. I-I'll probably be back in a few days."

"Okay. You have a good day now. And remember; cats pick humans, you don't pick them. The right cat will find you, I'm sure of it."

Tara smiled weakly as she opened the door. "Thanks."

* * *

It was the day before Willow's birthday and Tara still hadn't found the perfect cat for Willow. Sure, there were plenty of nice ones; ones that purred, ones that played and some that just enjoyed sleeping, but they weren't THE ONE.

Tara sat on her bed one morning, thinking. "I've been to the shelter everyday this week and still nothing. Maybe I should just get a cat and it'll grow into the name. Let's see….there was that silver tabby; he was playful. Except…he was a boy; I need a girl cat. Oh-there-there was that pretty black one with green eyes…he didn't seem very friendly though; polite yes, but definitely not friendly. Then there was that white kitten; she was cute…but…she just didn't _feel_ right." Tara sighed, picking her purse off the table and heading out the door. "I better find one soon; tomorrow's her birthday; I'm running out of time."

* * *

Tara walked into the main office of the animal shelter, smiling at the man behind the counter.

"Back for another try?" His eyes twinkled.

"Yes."

"Hope you find the one you're looking for."

"Me too." Tara headed in the direction of the cat room. She walked around the corner, taking in all the cages. She took a deep breath. "Okay, here we go."

* * *

An hour later, after studying every single cat in the kennels yet again, and still finding no cat that fit the name, Tara was ready to call it quits. She stood in the middle of the room, tears stinging the back of her eyes, threatening to leak out. "All I wanted was a perfect gift for Willow." She backed against a wall, sinking down to the floor. She put her chin in her hand, staring at a cage next to her. An orange tabby kitten stuck its paw between the bars, batting her on the knee. She smiled weakly. "Hi there. You're pretty cute. Maybe…hey…wait a minute." She looked past the orange tabby, her eyes falling on a little bundle of black fur, curled up in a bed in the corner of the cage.

Tara looked closer. "I wonder…" She got up, heading to the front of the shelter, almost running into the owner.

He smiled kindly. "Where are you going? Giving up already? You haven't been here that long."

Tara pointed to the cage. "That cage…over there. Can I see one of the kittens in there?"

"Sure." He fished a ring of keys out of his pocket, kneeling down and unlocking the door. "Now, which kitten would you like to see?"

"The black one in the corner."

"Oh, she's a fine looking one." The man reached in, gently picking the kitten up underneath its belly and handing it to Tara.

Tara scooped the kitten up in her arms, studying her. The kitten let out a plaintive mew, then grew quiet, seeming to study the blonde witch. Tara held the kitten out at arm's length. "Miss Kitty Fantastico." The kitten stared at her, then purred loudly. "Awww." Tara drew the kitten close to her, holding it to her chest. The kitten purred louder, nuzzling her neck.

The man chuckled. "I think she likes you."

"Yeah, I think she does." Tara studied the kitten again, as it playfully batted at a strand of her hair. "Miss Kitty Fantastico, would you like to come home with me?"

"Mew."

Tara chuckled softly. "I have someone very special I want you to meet."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **This chapter has some filler, but bear with me; I promise the ending will make you go "awww."

* * *

"And that's how kitty got adopted."

Willow smiled. "That was a good story; but-uh-you didn't finish it."

Tara looked at her, puzzled. "I didn't?"

"No. You forgot to tell what happened after."

Tara blushed. "Oh. After. I-I did forget, didn't I?"

"Yes."

"Okay then. Well, I had Miss Kitty Fantastico for a day...and then it was…

"My birthday."

Tara chuckled. "Yes."

* * *

"Happy Birthday Will!" Buffy jumped on Willow's bed, waking her out of a sound sleep.

The witch opened her eyes sleepily. "Buffy? What-what's all the commotion about?"

Buffy grinned. "It's your birthday silly; don't tell me you forgot your own birthday."

Willow sat up in bed, watching sleepily as Buffy rushed the around the room, getting herself ready for the day. "What's the hurry?"

"I have a big day planned for us; first, there's shopping, then the unnecessary studying, then meeting the Scoobies at the Bronze…."

"Don't forget class."

Buffy waved the question away with her hand. "Eh, minor detail."

Willow chuckled as she climbed out of bed. "Well, lead the way then; I am all about birthday fun."

* * *

"Will! Happy Birthday!" Xander flung his arm around Willow as soon as he saw her walk into the Bronze. He smiled. "So, how's the birthday girl? Do ya feel any older?"

"Nope. Just the same old me. Same old reliable Willow.

Buffy chuckled. "Which is exactly how we like her." The Scoobies sat down at a nearby table; Buffy looked apologetic. "So we were going to buy you a birthday cake, but—"

"We're poor college students and Giles is still out of a job." Xander smirked.

"I'm between careers; it's very difficult to find another library job."

"Look around Giles; there's plenty of libraries around Sunnydale."

"Be that as it may, I really don't think—"

Willow jumped in, hoping to stave off a bickering session. "It's-it's okay; birthday cakes are overrated anyway." She looked around at her friends. "It's just nice to have my friends with me to celebrate."

"Well, now that that's over with, let's open presents!" Anya held a gift out to Willow.

"Anya, remember what we talked about? The politeness of offering someone a gift on their birthday? There's a ritual we follow, remember?" Xander looked at his girlfriend expectantly.

Anya grumbled. "Happy Birthday." She paused, then thrust her gift in Willow's face again. "Open my present!"

Willow chuckled, taking the gift. "Wow, it's-it's heavy. I wonder—"

"It's a cauldron. Every good witch needs a cauldron. It was on sale at the Magic Box."

Willow nodded, putting the gift on the floor. "Very nice; I will definitely use it."

"Oooo…open mine next!"

"Okay." Willow took the gift from Buffy, carefully unwrapping it. "Oooo…a book of arcane spells. Thanks Buffy!" She hugged her friend.

Buffy smiled. "You're welcome; I figure every witch needs at least one book of arcane spells."

"Definitely."

"Here's my gift." Xander held out a long, slim shaped box. Willow took it, trying not to laugh as she opened it.

"A magic wand. This will come in very handy; every witch needs a back-up wand. Thanks Xand." She hugged him, then glanced at the table, picking up another gift. "From Giles." She opened the gift, chuckling. "Really Giles? A crystal ball?"

"It's a very nice crystal ball and believe it or not, some witches do have uses for it. If not…it can be used as a very good paperweight."

"Paperweight. Got it." She looked around. "Looks like that's eveyth—"

"Oh, you forgot my gift." Riley handed a small wrapped package to Willow. "Sorry; it was kind of a last minute thing."

Willow unwrapped the gift, finding a small book inside the wrapping. She flipped through it, finding the pages blank. "Oh…a book."

"I thought you could use it to write down spells…if witches do that sort of thing." He turned to Buffy. "She doesn't like my gift, does she?"

"No…I love your gift; I will use it to write down any spells I think of. And make note of the spells I want to try. That way, when I'm away from my room, I won't have to carry the huge spell book with me." She smiled at Riley.

"Well…I'm glad you like it. Happy Birthday."

Buffy smiled. "Yeah. Happy Birthday Will."

* * *

Willow turned down the hallway, headed for Tara' room. She hadn't seen the blonde witch all night; tired as she was, she did want to say good-night. She knocked on the door to Tara's room, smiling when she answered.

"Hi Tara."

"Hey Willow. How-how was the party?"

"It was good; Xander gave me a magic wand." She chuckled. "Hey, how come you weren't…" Willow trailed off, her eyes landing on a black kitten with white rear feet, a white stripe on her chest and an adorable spot of white around her nose. Willow walked into the room, scooping up the kitten. "Awww. Tara, she's so cute. When did you get her?"

Tara smiled shyly. "I found her yesterday; at the animal shelter."

"What's her name?"

"Miss Kitty Fantastico."

Willow looked at Tara, a huge grin on her face. "Hey, you used my name idea."

"Yes."

"The name fits her perfectly."

"Yes." Tara smiled, watching as Willow played with the kitten.

"Hey, how come there's a bow around her neck?"

"She's a gift."

"For who?"

Tara swallowed, feeling nervous. "You."

Willow looked up, meeting Tara's eyes. "She's a present for me?"

"Yes."

"Do you like her?"

Willow grinned, blushing slightly. "I _love_ her."

"G-good. I was hoping you would."

"This is the best birthday ever."

"Really?"

"Really?"

* * *

"And that's the end of the story." Tara crawled across the bed, snuggling under the covers beside Willow. "I gave you Miss Kitty Fantastico for your birthday and pretty soon…she became ours." Tara laid down, resting her head on Willow's chest.

"That was a good story; you're a very good story teller." Willow smiled.

"I am?"

"Yes. In fact, you're so good, you should take drama with me."

Tara chuckled. "Oh, I'm not that good." She patted the bed. "Come here Miss Kitty; time for bed." The black kitten mewed, walking up to Tara, then snuggling between her and Willow. Tara smiled, turning off the bedside light. "Good-night Willow; good night Miss Kitty Fantastico."

"Good night Tara. Good night Miss Kitty." Willow smiled through the dark at the sound of Miss Kitty Fantastico's purring.

"So Willow?"

"Yeah?"

"Was that really the best birthday?"

"Yes."

"Ever?"

"Yep; the best birthday ever."


End file.
